You matter to me

​Oprah Winfrey estimates she has interviewed over 50,000 people in her career. She says the one thing they all have in common: they all want to know that what they do and what they say and who they are matters.

Oprah says that's what we ALL have in common.

I find it interesting. Oprah has interviewed some of the most 'accomplished' people in the world. Famous people who have seen and done it all. And yet, there they are, still wondering if they matter.

Maybe they are the best people to help us understand what really does matter.

So many people don't get happy answers to the 'do I matter' question in their closest relationships in life, so they begin trying to force happy answers through their accomplishments.

They pursue prestige in their careers.

They pursue dominance in athletics.

They pursue large crowds with their performances.

Many people pursue those things and GET them, and yet, there they are, wondering, does what I do and what I say and who I am matter.

Last weekend the boys and I threw the ball at a local field. We laughed. We cheered. And you know what, I could tell they knew they mattered.

They had nothing to prove.

And neither did I.

In that moment, I knew I mattered too.

The thing is, nothing in the world we do, nothing we accomplish, will answer the question does who I am matter. Only love will do that. Only a love that says I see you, I know who you are, I am cheering for you, I am your biggest fan - only a love that says I believe everything you say and do matters.

Only love answers the question we ask the most. Does who I am matter?

No collection of trophies, no job title, no bank balance, no paparazzi, none of those things say you are loved.

People do.

Or people don't.

You will interact with people today. Isn't it a beautiful thing to know that what they want most from that interaction is to know the interaction matters, is to know that THEY matter to you.

Don't make them try to impress you to matter to you. Let them know what they do will never matter to you more than who they are.

The reality is we all have one thing in common - we're all running around trying to figure out if we matter, when we should have something completely opposite in common.

We should all be running around with hearts that long to make sure EVERYONE knows they matter.

So let someone know they matter today.

Let's stop asking ourselves questions and start giving those around us answers.